All is well at the zoo until walrus notices the open gate and decides to escape. Where’s walrus now? The zookeeper frantically searches for the escaped walrus throughout town. However, walrus is difficult to find as he hides by disguising himself. He blends into scenes and situations in town. A few disguises he becomes are a firefighter, artist, and even a dancer. Walrus wears different hats that match each disguise. Walrus can’t help but stand out when he discovers a pool and shows his diving skills. Is the chase off now that walrus is no longer in disguise?

Where’s Walrus? is a delightful and humorous book, especially for younger ages. The illustrations are simple with bold colors. The storyline is also straightforward – animal escapes, hides, and zookeeper tries to find. Younger ages can find walrus within the pages. Where’s Walrus? is sure to get many laughs. I recommend this book.

Ladies, gentlemen, boys, and girls The Garibaldi Circus is coming to town! There are many busy preparations for the circus, but if you look closely you may get a sneak peek. A young girl watches across the street at the bus stop as people prepare for the upcoming circus. The girl witnesses a tight rope walker who is actually a construction worker balancing pails. She sees clowns who are kids skateboarding into the market. There’s a sword swallower sitting in the dentist chair. A stilt walker balances on a ladder while painting. A dog’s shadow becomes a scary lion. The entire street ‘circus’ is viewed on the last pages. The girl boards the bus at the same time a boy sits at the bus stop to watch. What exciting things will you see at the circus pre-show?

Sidewalk Circus is an entertaining book that displays ordinary street events into an exciting show. I thought it was interesting that the girl was the only individual at the bus stop who noticed the street shows. Even though this is a wordless picture book, words appear on circus posters, shops, and billboards announcing the circus. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and show city details. I recommend Sidewalk Circus to help see the extraordinary in the otherwise ordinary daily events in your city.

FlotsamIllustrated by David WiesnerPublished by Clarion Books on September 4, 2006Ages 5+, 40 pagesGenre/Topics: Wordless, Marine Life

Flotsam: A wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating in the water.

A curious boy explores many animals and things at the beach. An old camera with barnacles washes onto the shore and he develops the film. He discovers interesting pictures of sea creatures: An octopus reading in the living room, seastars carry islands on their back, and even small aliens surrounded by sea horses. One photo catches his eye of a girl holding a photo who is also holding a photo. The boy zooms in the photo with his microscope and discovers many children holding the photo. He then takes a photo of himself with the photo. The camera is thrown back into the water, so more photos can be taken and other children can find it on the beach.

Flotsam is another beautifully illustrated book by David Wiesner. The book has realistic elements as he finds animals on the beach with fantasy elements of sea photos. The photo pages were outlined black in the book to appear like a photo. I only had a problem with throwing the camera back into the ocean, but I understand it’s part of the story. Remind children (and adults) to keep nature clean. Spark their wonder about sea mysteries with Flotsam.

I Haiku YouWritten & Illustrated by Betsy SnyderPublished by Random House Books for Young Readers on December 26, 2012Genre/Topics: Poetry, Haiku, Love ExpressionsAges:4-6. 32 pages

A haiku is a Japanese poem divided into three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. I Haiku You is a cute book that expresses different loves written in the form of haiku. The book isn’t exactly a story, instead it’s things, situations, and people who show happiness. I Haiku You has simple haiku poems and messages that children can understand. Haiku poems range from butterflies, bike rides, summer treats, friendship, snow angels, and even s’mores.

I found myself counting the syllables on my fingers the entire time I read I Haiku You. I think this a delightful book to introduce haiku poems to young children. The book doesn’t even have to be used for poetry alone, since the cheerful messages are sure to make you smile. The illustrations are also cute and really show the haiku’s theme. Take this book’s inspiration and create your own haiku today!

Haiku History & Information:

A haiku poem consists of three lines, with the first and last line having 5 moras, and the middle line having 7. A mora is a sound unit, much like a syllable, but is not identical to it. Since the moras do not translate well into English, it has been adapted and syllables are used as moras.

Haiku started out as a popular activity during the 9th to 12th centuries in Japan called “tanka.” It was a progressive poem, where one person would write the first three lines with a 5-7-5 structure, and the next person would add to it a section with a 7-7 structure. The chain would continue in this fashion. So if you wanted some old examples of haiku poems, you could read the first verse of a “tanka” from the 9th century.

The first verse was called a “hokku” and set the mood for the rest of the verses. Sometimes there were hundreds of verses and authors of the “hokku” were often admired for their skill. In the 19th century, the “hokku” took on a life of its own and began to be written and read as an individual poem. The word “haiku” is derived from “hokku.”

The three masters of “hokku” from the 17th century were Matsuo, Issa, and Buson. Their work is still the model of haiku writing today. They were poets who wandered the countryside, experiencing life and observing nature, and spent years perfecting their craft.

A boy falls asleep and his adventures begin in his dreams. The book he read before bed is open and a page with a map floats away. This map appears throughout the pages on his journey. His checkered blanket becomes fields then a chess board. He battles a dragon through a forest. There’s even a Gulliver’s Travels element as the boy appears bigger and smaller at moments. He freely falls from one adventure to the next.

Free Fall is a beautifully illustrated book that truly takes the reader on adventures. After reading the book once, I slowly went back many times to view the details. The transitions from one adventure to the next occur smoothly and gradually. I recommend Free Fall for older ages to pick up story details and continue in their writing. Younger ages can also enjoy Free Fall for the illustrations. I recommend this book.

I Pledge AllegianceWritten by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael SampsonIllustrated by Chris RaschkaPublished by Candlewick on June 3, 2004Ages: 4+, 40 pagesGenre/Topics: Patriotism, Pledge of Allegiance, U.S. History

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Many students begin the day reciting The Pledge of Allegiance. What exactly does it mean when we proudly salute the flag? When did it begin? Has the Pledge changed since it started? These questions and more are explained in I Pledge Allegiance.

I Pledge Allegiance isn’t exactly a story, instead the entire Pledge is ‘spoken’ on the pages. The book breaks it down and explains what words mean. Only a few words are on a page with an explanation, such as pledge, allegiance, flag, republic, nation, God, liberty, and justice. These are big concepts for children to grasp. There is additional information about the Pledge throughout the book. The book explains the flag’s colors, what to do when saying the Pledge, brief Pledge history, and even a colorful map of the United States of America.

I really enjoyed I Pledge Allegiance. As a teacher, I proudly state the Pledge every morning. Some students don’t show respect when saying the Pledge, so I think this book will explain what it means. The illustrations are unique, because they appear like construction paper and watercolors. I Pledge Allegiance does a great job showing how all are represented under the flag, since the people are all colors from yellow to blue. I highly recommend I Pledge Allegiance, so children can understand what the Pledge means and how to be respectful.

Facts about The Pledge of Allegiance:

In 1892, Francis Bellamy wrote it as a poem for children. It was published in the children’s magazine, The Youth’s Companion.

It wasn’t intended to be spoken daily, instead it was written to celebrate Columbus Day.

The Pledge used a military style salute, similar to the Nazi salute. In 1942, the U.S. Flag Code changed the salute to be a hand over the heart.

In 1954, President Eisenhower asked Congress to add ‘under God’.

Original Pledge:

I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands – one Nation indivisible – with liberty and justice for all.

Museum TripIllustrated by Barbara LehmanPublished by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 22, 2006Ages 4+, 32 pagesGenre/Topics: Wordless, Museum, Field Trip, Imagination

A museum holds many interesting things from paintings, artifacts, and sculptures. A young boy is on a field trip to a museum and everything is fine, until he stops to tie his shoe. He now lost his group and wanders alone. He discovers a room with maze-like drawings. When he takes a closer look he finds that he is physically inside the maze. He now explores maze after maze. When he finishes navigating through all the mazes, he exits the room. Finally, the boy catches up with his classmates on the museum trip. His field trip experience is quite different from others.

The Museum Trip is a simple wordless book and not too much imagination is needed. The book is fun, because each maze is on a page. The reader can ‘help’ the boy find the center and exit the maze.